Butler City Council voted Thursday to keep the lights on until 9 p.m. at the pickle ball courts in Ritts Park and two other locations on a trial basis until Oct. 31. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle

The completion of the pickle ball courts at Ritts Park this summer brought with it a slew of players looking for a chance to play the popular pastime.

Over the past few months, Butler City Council members have heard from pickle ball players who want to play at the courts later in the day, but the lights at the park have been turned off at dark as per an ordinance.

On Thursday, the city council voted to keep the lights on until 9 p.m. at the tennis courts in Memorial Park, the pickle ball courts in Ritts Park and the skate park at Father Marinaro Park on a trial basis until Oct. 31.

Councilman Dan Herr, who is the city’s director of parks, recreation and public property, said the lights are turned off at dark as part of an old city initiative to deter any misbehavior at night.

“The parks initially, they were closed at 11 o’clock; we were getting a lot of illegal activity,” Herr said. “We came to the consensus that 9 is reasonable.”

The change will take effect immediately.

Dandoy also said the many requests the city has heard to keep the lights on later is a good payoff to the pickle ball project.

“As we make improvements to amenities at parks, it’s good that people want to use them,” he said.

Melann Maakle, of Butler, returns a serve at the new pickle ball courts in Ritts Park, Butler. The courts have already proven popular with multiple games taking place in the cooler morning hours on Wednesday. Cary Shaffer/Butler Eagle 07/20/22

Brenda Pyle of Butler eyes up a return during a pickle ball game at Ritts Park in Butler.